


Even Estranged Family is Family Nonetheless

by Fandoms_ruined_me123



Series: Whumptober 2020 [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, Good Older Sibling Jason Todd, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Protective Jason Todd, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Tim Drake-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:00:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_ruined_me123/pseuds/Fandoms_ruined_me123
Summary: Tim was used to being alone, used to being left behind. He knew they would leave him eventually but it still hurt when they did. He also knew the rules. He had heard the warnings about patroling alone but still, he felt as if he had no choice. It's only when he stopped to see the blood pour down his chest that he notices he's made a mistake. But with everyone out of Gotham, there is no one else he can turn to, no matter how dangerous it might be.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Whumptober 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950364
Comments: 6
Kudos: 274





	Even Estranged Family is Family Nonetheless

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I took a little break from writing while school picked up and I was trying to get my mental health on a good path but I'm back! And I may or may not be planning to still complete Whumptober in about....11 days? I only have about 14 days to catch up on!!! Anyways enjoy!  
> And as always thank you to my amazing beta Elise! Who without I would simply be a lone possum on the side of the road in Nebraska
> 
> Whumptober 2020 Prompt 29: Blood loss

Tim knew he wasn’t supposed to be out that night. He knew the rule just as well as anyone else, and he knew the risks and close calls that had created it, but now he had no choice. He had to go out that night, he had no other choice. With everyone gone and the Birds of Prey left to watch over the city, he had to help on patrol. However, he already knew how full Barbara’s hands were as she attempted to give instructions that would be eventually ignored. Staying at the manor was out of the question so instead, he opted to go out alone. He could hear Bruce's voice echoing in his ears as he geared up, the voice repeated the same rule over and over. Never go out alone, not at least without someone on comms. And never, under any circumstances, leave without telling someone where you’ve gone. Still, he placed a domino mask over his face and headed out into the night.

Tim had decided early on that it was no one’s fault. Bruce had an important meeting in Metropolis and after many requests had allowed the others to come with. Alfred had gone along with them to watch over them when Bruce was in meetings. Everyone had gone, even Stephanie jumped at the invitation Cass had given her. It had been a long time since anyone had gotten a break and this was the perfect opportunity. Everyone went, everyone except Tim. He had been working at the tower attempting to save a long string of kidnappings that had occurred over the US with his team. He had set aside an entire week due to the fact he had no leads and they were getting nowhere. 

So when he got the call from Bruce and he said he would be ok with it. After all, he’d be spending his days at the tower, and with a speedster and two people with superstrength, there was never a dull moment. But then he got the lead he needed. They had rushed to rescue those who had been kidnapped and put the perpetrators behind bars. It was far sooner than he had expected, but it didn’t seem to bother him.

As Tim walked up the steps of the manor and disengaged the security he got a strong sense of deja vu but couldn’t put his finger on what exactly it was. The house was quiet, a small thing yet so strange for the evening. There was almost always the sound of music or laughter emanating from somewhere in the house at all times, but it was silent. The dim lights from the setting sun shone through the windows cast around the otherwise dark house. His footsteps echoed throughout the house and caused him to cringe slightly as he made his way into the kitchen. He threw his bag down onto the counter and almost looked right past the note that sat in the middle of the otherwise empty counter.

The note itself was plain, nice handwriting scrawled across a white piece of paper. Tim didn’t need to look at the signature at the bottom to know who it was from. There were few people who were still allowed to step foot in the kitchen, and only one of them had legible handwriting. The note was there to inform him that there were premade meals for him in the fridge should he come home early.

Tim froze, the note was tightly gripped in his hand as everything seemed to become slightly clearer. He had finally realized that they left, that they left and left him behind. He found himself scrambling to remember how long they said they would be gone for. Was it five days, five weeks, or five months, he couldn’t remember. As he looked around he started to realize in a way he had never before, the small similarities of the kitchen to the one at his old house. Details began to blur together in his mind as he turned to run. He grabbed his bag, not even paying any attention to keeping it from knocking into anything on his way out like he usually did to protect the computer inside. It could have hit something and he would have no way of knowing.

He raced up the stairs until he reached his room where he threw his bag down onto his beg and began to pace the room. Tim has always been prepared for when they would leave him but it still hurt. They had left, gone on a trip, and left him behind. If they had finally realized he wasn’t worth keeping around then how long would it take his team? Conner had promised they would never do that but so had Bruce. So had Dick but he had broken that promise long before. He started to rifle through his bag desperately, determined to do what he had always done before. Complete work so that they would be satisfied when they came home, then go out at night. The only difference was that now he wasn’t going to take pictures.

The cold night wind chilled him to the bone as he looked down from his perch by a window sill. He knew he was on the edge of Jason's territory, much closer than either of them would have liked. However, this was his case and no one could get a hold of Jason anyways. Bruce and him had a disagreement that had devolved into Jason screaming at Bruce and storming out, no one had heard from him since. All he knew was that this was his job and if Jason had a problem with it then he could talk later. However, Jason had been nothing but clean about his disdain for him in the past so it was rather foolish for him to have assumed that the talk would go with him leaving unharmed. 

He looked down at the men who gathered in the alleyway beneath him. A group of men had gone on a robbing spree and had left more than one civilian casualty in their path. So when Tim had found the dates of when they would be meeting up with their fence he knew he had to take advantage of that. The heist had gathered enough media traction to the point where no fence would want to take the items. The best they could get away with was to sell to multiple lower-level fences. They wouldn’t get as much money for their work but they’d get something and the stolen goods would be off their hands. Tim didn’t have to go out that night. He could have easily chosen any of the other dates and all that would have been lost were some jewels, but he had to. He couldn’t bear to spend another second in the desolate manor

He watched intensely as they talked, he couldn’t risk making a move, if they didn’t have the jewels it would only send them back into hiding. Suddenly he saw something reflect the light of the streetlamps up into his eyes. The jewels shone brightly in the darkness and peeked out from the small bag they were held in. Their facets reflected all traces of light they could. Then he moved.

Quickly he pulled out a few Batarangs. He felt them shoot out from his fingers as he released them with practiced ease. Shouts of surprise and pain ripped through the night as they met their mark. He left onto the nearby fire escape, instinctively cringing slightly as the rusted metal squeaked under the sudden weight before he moved to the ladder. He held on tightly with one hand as he pulled out his bo staff. The metal latter slammed to a half as it extended its full length and he left to the ground. He rushed over quickly to one of the fallen men, his hand tightly wrapped around the cloth sack before he slipped it into his pocket. He tucked his foot by the man’s chin before kicking, careful as not to use enough force to injure him but enough to knock him unconscious, and did the same to the other fallen man. 

Gunfire seemed to drown out all other thoughts as the noise became amplified in the small area. He rolled to the side taking shelter behind a dumpster before rummaging through his belt quickly. Carefully he tossed it in an arch over the dumpster. Smoke enveloped them as the gunfire ceased. The world almost seemed to become silent as he crept towards the win. He lunged toward, his bo staff collided with the bigger man’s knees. Tim stepped back as he fell to the ground. One more strike and he was out cold. He heard the sound of a gun reloading behind before he spun around. His staff connected the man’s hand and sent the gun and bullets flying through the air, and he faintly heard them clatter to the ground. 

Tim scanned around the area carefully before he finally folded up his staff and tucked it under his arm. He kept a close eye on the men as he approached them warily before he began to chain their wrists to the same dumpster he had sought refuge behind. With a careful look over them, he began to climb back up the fire escape the way he had come in. But as he made his way to the roof he couldn’t help to feel like something was wrong. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he replayed the scene over in his head. He took out the thief holding the jewels and the fence’s bodyguard in the beginning from a distance. Then he went after the fence and the last thief. Only three out of the five thieves had come, but he had only taken out two of them.

Tim heard the shot before he felt it. The single shot rang through the air as he turned back to face the alleyway. Instinctively he darted to the side as something pushed lightly on his shoulder but he paid it no mind. He turned to see the fifth thief standing across the rooftop. She stood with a smug look on her face as she took aim again. Frantically he pulled out a Batarang and threw it with everything he could towards her. He heard it collide with the gun and send it flying out of her hands but he didn’t stay to see the aftermath. He reached for his grappling hook and began to soar through the night. His shoulder protested slightly as he held on tight before he finally dropped onto a nearby rooftop.

Tim felt his feet slam onto the rooftop as his shoulder felt sore and almost numb. He began to wonder if he had overexerted himself in the fight as he went to put his grappling hook away, then he saw the blood. Blood that seemed to cover the left side of his chest as it pooled up in his belt and seemed like it was going to pour over the edge. His eyes followed the blood up his torso as horror set in, and then he saw it. His eyes became transfixed on the red hole in his shoulder. Fresh blood poured out from it and down his chest. He cursed himself for not realizing what the small force had been, but by now it was too late. 

“I’ve been shot!” Tim whispered to himself, “I’ve been shot,” Realization settled deep inside him as he slightly shook away the shock that has paralyzed all other thought. A deep numbness overtook his arm as he began to think through his options but there was only one viable option, and he wasn’t a fan of it. The Birds weren’t patrolling this area of the city. They were too far to help and after all, he would only be taking away from the people that needed their help. He was alone.

As quickly as he could he began to run, taking advantage of the numb shock in his arm to get himself to a safe place for when the true pain set in. His idea was reckless and dangerous but was the only thing that could work and that was better than nothing. Quickly he began to run across the rooftops. He was too busy making sure he didn’t trip over his feet, a task that was becoming increasingly difficult with every passing second, that he almost missed it.

He dropped down from the roof onto the balcony of the seemingly abandoned apartment building and almost crumbled to the ground at the impact. A harsh heat began to radiate from his shoulder as he took out his bo staff once more and thrust it through the window. The glass scraped his hand and wrist as he shoved it through the opening. His fingers fumbled around as he attempted to grasp the lock. He knew he had to have tripped some kind of alarm but he couldn’t afford to be tactful about his entry. He stumbled inside, the dull pain in his shoulder became almost unbearable. The room seemed to grow distorted as he swayed slightly. He stumbled his way into the bathroom and began to frantically search through the cabinets. Plastic bottles tumbled to the floor as he pulled out the first aid kid. As he gripped it in his hand desperately he pressed his back up against the wall as he sunk to the floor. The cold tile a blissful change from the heat emanating from his shoulder.

Tims fingers shook as he strained his arm upwards as he attempted to grab the white towel that was draped over the shower rod. He vaguely noticed his fingernails as he pulled the towel down to him. A sick, cold blue color seemed almost painted on his nails and he knew he had lost too much blood to mean anything good. Tears began to fall down his face but he couldn’t even feel them over the overwhelming pain in his shoulder. The cloth he pressed over it seemed to have no effect on the already unbearable pain in his shoulder. It felt as if someone had a dagger and was thrusting it into his shoulder repeatedly. The pain was all he could focus on, so much so that he almost didn’t hear the apartment door slam open.

“I am armed and will not hesitate for a second to shoot you! So step out and face me!” Tim felt a wave of relief and fear wash over him as he heard Jason shouts from somewhere inside the apartment. He opened his mouth to respond but all that came out was a sharp cry of pain. He heard footsteps that pounded quickly towards him, each one shook the floor slightly and caused him to wince in pain.

“Shit!” Jason stood in the forward for a moment before he rushed forward to crouch down next to him. Tim tried to scoot away but the movement caused him to scream in pain. He was at Jason’s mercy and if he wanted to kill him he could do nothing to protect himself. “Don’t try to move, you need some severe help.”

“Hypovolemic shock,” Tim gasped out, his eyes fluttered up to Jason’s. He wasn’t sure if it was the dizziness or pain but the look on his face seemed to almost look like one of concern.

“What?”

“Hypovolemic shock, a condition that occurs when you lose more than 20 percent of-”

“I know what it is,” Jason snapped before inhaling deeply. “Of course even when you’re bleeding out you’re a know it all. And you need more than this flimsy kit, I’ll be right back.” Tim felt his head rest against the rough wall as he watched Jason run out of the room. He looked down at his shaky hand that was holding the cloth up to his shoulder desperately. He had always been pale but this was an extreme even for him. Small drops of perspiration covered his hands and he felt cold. The strong heat was still pulsing from his shoulder but the rest of him just felt cold. Almost as quickly as he left Jason returned. His arms almost overflowed with items and he dropped to his knees and dropped them onto the floor next to them.

“What are you doing?” Tim asked weakly as Jason started to move things around in an attempt to find something in the multitude of boxes. 

“What does it look like? I’m trying to help you,” Jason said, his joking words not matching his serious tone. “Is the bullet still in you?” Tim nodded tensely as Jason looked back over to him.

“I’m not going to sugar coat this, it’s going to hurt like a mother fucker Do you want the pain meds?” 

“Yes please,” Tim responded awkwardly, his thoughts racing but they seemed to be cloudier and less focused than usual.

“I always ask before because Roy always refuses them,” He explained before handing him the pills and a glass of water. He raised it to Tims’s lips as he eagerly sipped the drink, the cool water had never tasted as good as it did then. “So I was out looking into the fight a couple blocks out and all of a sudden I got the emergency notification on my phone telling me that some had broken in. Why’d you come here?”

“Because I couldn’t go anywhere else,” Tim mumbled under his breath as he curled in on himself as much as his shoulder would allow.

“Can’t hear you when you mumble, try again.”

“I couldn’t go anywhere else,” Tim exclaimed louder before scrunching his eyes up tight.

“What about the person you were patrolling with? I know B doesn’t let you guys go out alone and I don’t see them here?” Jason sat back on his haunches, staring him down intensely as he waited for the pain medication to kick in. 

“They are gone,”

“What do you mean they’re gone!” Jason exclaimed furiously.

“They’re gone, the Birds are watching over Gotham. I wasn’t supposed to be back yet,” Jason ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly before he looked back at Tim.

“So I’m taking it that no one knows you were out?”

“No,” Shame flooded through him as he felt Jason's judgmental eyes glaring down at him.

“Jesus replacement! You’re out there making it so that any old thief can get a shot at you and leave you to bleed out on a rooftop! What would have happened if I wasn’t here? What would have happened if my apartment wasn’t nearby?”

“One, I could still die. One in every five victims of a gunshot wound die. And two why do you care?” The words slipped past his lips before he could stop them but he couldn’t really bring himself to care. Jason stared at him for a moment more before exhaling.

“One, you’re not going to die on my watch. And two,” He broke off in hesitation before he continued. “I’m not going to have a heart of heart with you or any of that shit but I tried to kill you and now I’m saving you. I think that lets me off the hook,” Tim stared at him for a second more before he continued. 

“Listen we don’t have time for the pain meds to kick in, I need to get that bullet out now. Just uh,” Jason looked around the room for a moment before grabbing a hand towel and holding it up to Tim. “Bite down on this and stay as still as you can,” 

Tim nodded sharply as he bit down on the cloth Jason was offering. He noticed the slight concern clear in Jason’s eyes as he hovered over him before he closed his eyes. If Tim thought that the pain before was unbearable, that was nothing compared to this. It felt as if someone had taken a knife and decided to twist it into the wound. His legs thrust out in agony as Jason swore loudly. His own screams filled his ears and for just a moment he found himself wondering if death would be easier than all of the pain but it was soon washed away in the flood of pain that took over all his thoughts. Then the twisting feeling went away. Tears poured out of his eyes as he opened them slowly to see the ceiling that was covered in bumps above him. He faintly felt Jason covering the wound. 

“-gong to set you up with a blood transfusion. I’m O negative so you’ll be fine,” Tim looked over to Jason as he began to pull out a needle and vials for himself.

“How do you have all this stuff?” Tim asked faintly as he looked over in confusion. 

“Listen kid, when you’ve done this as long as I have you have these on hand. Most of this isn’t even from me. Some of it I got from Kori to mock me for getting hurt on a couple of missions, some of it’s from Roy. You know how it is,” Jason continued to talk casually even as the needle pierced through his skin and the blood began to flow into the bag. They sat in silence for a while until Jason finally took the needle out, just looking at it made Tim uncomfortable.

“Thanks, you can just set up the blood transfusion back at the manor. I have to go back anyway,” Jason stared at Tim as he finished talking like he had grown an extra head. 

“You really think I’m about to send you back to the empty manor after you nearly just bled out on my bathroom floor?”

“Well, I don’t want to be a burden. I’m sure you have things you need to be doing and after all, we’re even now. You don’t owe me anything,” Tim argued, his voice becoming weaker as Jason glared at him.

“I’m no doctor, but we aren’t done here. You need extra attention to make sure you don’t get hypothermia after losing that much blood. You also need extra attention to make sure you don’t get an infection. I think you know what I’m talking about,”

“Who told you about my spleen?” Tim asked furiously. Sure Jason hadn’t done anything aggressive towards them in a long time but he also wasn’t exactly friendly with some of them too often. More like a hostile neighbor most of the time than anything.

“Relax I read it in your file. And if you go back to the manor you’re just going to work instead of rest,” Tims eyes fixated on the ground as Jason started to set up the blood transfusion. “I’ll set up the bed in Roy’s room. He’s not using at the moment and it’s not mine so I don’t care if you bleed on it,”

Tim sat, his back against the wall and covered in his own blood, as a small smile split across his face. He wanted to argue and fight back. He wanted to storm out of there and prove to Jason that he could take care of himself, but for a moment there he was relieved. It could have been the blood loss but still, he felt relieved that there was someone willing to take care of him, someone who demanded to take care of him. And even though all of his past experiences screamed at him to run, he couldn’t help but feel safe.


End file.
